Betaed by Curio and ValiantxVillainess
No, they were nothing alike. Min-jun had watched his parents die in front of him at the Palace gates. He’d seen the spilled blood. He’d watched as the sword swung down and slashed through them like they were nothing more than cattle for slaughter. Min-jun remembered that, didn’t he?
Min-jun steeled himself. There was no point in concerning himself with useless self-reflection when the King was on death’s door.
“Mai –”
“Don’t say my name!” she screamed. Yes, of course. The name her father gave her. Min-jun was familiar with that feeling. Even now, it hadn’t washed away. Would her anger fade, or would it stay festering as his had?
“What was the deal you made with the King?”
“Your target, you mean?” Mai said, her tone turning sardonic. “I guess Mother was right about you being a traitor as well.”
Traitor! After all he’d done for that woman, she painted him as a traitor. A part of him wanted to laugh at himself, cackle until tears ran down his face, until his breath came in short, desperate gasps. Oh, you fool, thinking you’re anything other than expendable.
But he wasn’t expendable! No one else could kill the King. Mother didn’t waste time on lost causes. This must be some sort of test. Must be. She wouldn’t kill him off for no reason. She wouldn’t. She wouldn’t.
“The deal, Mai. What was it?” he said, his voice stern, despite the pounding in his head. “Now.”
“Why does it matter?” Mai asked, hiking her sleeve up to show the tattoo on her wrist. “I did you a favor, didn’t I? When he dies, you can die with him. Mother just needs him dead, doesn’t she?”
No. She needed Min-jun to kill him. That was their agreement. That was how it was supposed to be. Min-jun was just following the plan.
Mai waited for his answer, anger in her every movement, wretched with grief and impatient. How familiar. Shut up, shut up, shut up.
“You said you’ve killed people before,” Min-jun said. “Was it on purpose?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” She had a knife now, brandishing it as if it were a much greater weapon than it actually was.
“You haven’t, have you?” Min-jun could tell. Killing on purpose was entirely different from killing someone by accident. “Neither had I.”
“Until my father,” Mai said. The knife shook in her hand.
Until her father. No matter how he spun, he’d given Gyeo-wool the ammunition and told him to shoot. And he told himself it was to give him a choice, but Min-jun had simply been too scared to use any other method. Too scared to watch someone die at his hand.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Tbe mjc’a xlii wf,” Zlc-pec rjlv. “Yg tlw, obg atja wjaafg.”
“Ccv kts lr atja?”
Because you’re like me. “You’re brandishing that sword like you’re afraid it’ll cut you as well. You’re afraid.”
Zjl mifcmtfv tfg affat, kbgvr mjeuta lc tfg atgbja. Vtf abbx j ofk rafqr yjmx, afjgr kfiilcu lc tfg fsfr. “Tbe’gf kgbcu!” Fcvfgcfjat tfg, atf oibbg ujnf kjs, atf oibbgybjgvr mgjmxlcu bqfc ecvfgcfjat tfg ilxf atf wbeat bo rbwf ugfja yfjra gfjvs ab rkjiibk atfw ktbif.
“Mai!” Min-jun rushed to where the girl hung precariously from one of the floorboards, her hands digging into the splintered wood. Below her was a drop of several kan. Not enough to kill, but enough to break a bone or two.
“You’ll get sick!” She shouted, but her voice shook with fear, tears welling in her eyes as blood slowly streaked her palms.
Min-jun had already taken her hands. How could she think of such things while she was dangling from a loose floorboard with nothing but earth below? Earth that was likely crawling with insects and other disgusting creatures.
It didn’t take much strength on his side to pull her up. Up close, Mai looked parched and starved, as if she had hardly eaten or drunk anything the past few days, despite the persimmon juice all over her hands. When she crawled out of that space, tears were already falling from her eyes, sobs shaking her frame. There was nothing Min-jun could say or do to salve her misery, so he sat next to her.
“I understand that you hate me,” Min-jun started, keeping his voice low. “And perhaps you’re right to, but I haven’t come here to fight with you.”
She didn’t answer, inconsolable.
“But you must cure the King,” Min-jun said. “I am your target. Don’t bloody your hands with more lives than you have to.” He took hold of the dagger that had fallen from her hands during the fall. Gingerly, he put it back in her hand, the blood staining the metal. They’d have to clean up her wounds as well.
Mai’s hand closed around the dagger, and she brought it flat to her chest, clutching it as if it were a precious heirloom. That didn’t seem very safe.
“I will kill the King, and then, if you wish, you can take my life as well.”
Mai brought out her tattooed wrist once more. The clock paused. In a hoarse voice, she said, “he’s free now.”
Free. The King would live. Min-jun stood, something strange welling inside of him, filling his heart until it felt like it might burst. Relief, no doubt, that his mission would not be taken from him. That his victory would still be his own. He looked down at Mai.
“It’s best not to linger here. Let’s go back now.”
“Me?”
“Of course. You need to keep an eye on your target, after all.” And she needed time to process her father’s death away from Mother. Min-jun knew that woman would only rub salt in her wounds. He knew it firsthand.
And though she was still crying and her hands were bleeding from where the wood had scratched them, Mai followed him without a word of protest.
. . .
The others sat on a fallen trunk facing away from Min-jun as Hyun-woo paced in front of them, his arms crossed and his face grave. Another moment passed and Hyun-woo noticed the two of them approaching. Instantly, he relaxed, his arms falling to his sides and the creases of his face smoothing out. Ha Jil noticed him next, followed by Dae-yeong, Si-yeol, and Eok-gi.
Si-yeol hacked out a laugh. “Well, I suppose it makes sense for a madman to have an absurd amount of luck.”
“She’s agreed to cure him,” Min-jun said, coming to a stop behind them. “Under the condition that she will not be confined here.”
“Min-jun, that girl is a criminal,” Ha Jil said. Min-jun couldn’t blame him for being wary. After all, how many lives had Mai claimed under her uncontrollable Gift?
Min-jun lifted his chin, unwilling to back down. “Which is why I will take her back to the Palace with me. There, she will be kept under a close watch.”
Ha Jil remained unconvinced. “Min-jun, the Palace is no place for someone like her.”
“Trust me, the King . . .” Min-jun glanced down at Mai, who had stopped crying by now, save for the occasional sniffle. “He has a way of dealing with people like Mai here.”
“Meaning . . .” Si-yeol interjected, eyeing the girl as if she were a particularly volatile experiment.
“Meaning that you all have nothing to worry about. She’s in good hands. You’ll have to trust me on that.”
Si-yeol groaned. “Again with the trust. Honestly, Min-jun, you’ve perfected the art of guilting people into letting you do whatever you want.”
“Is that a yes?”
None of them seemed willing to make eye contact with him, their jaws set, their postures uncertain. Five to two wasn’t a fight Min-jun could win. He’d seen them take down an armed man before, and that criminal had been a much more accomplished fighter than Min-jun. If they wanted to, they could capture Mai without much effort on their part.
Dae-yeong broke the uncomfortable silence, taking something out from his bag: A pink bundle with an embroidered bunny, its fur white as fresh snow, it’s eyes red as garnets. When Dae-yeong stood to approach them, Eok-gi grabbed his wrist, and the two entered a bit of a staring contest. Oh, for fuck’s sake. Min-jun rolled his eyes. She’s a little girl, not some wild animal.
With a little more force than was necessary, Dae-yeong ripped his wrist away and continued to approach them.
“Your name is Mai, yes?” Dae-yeong asked, his voice gentle as the breeze rustling the trees above them. Mai nodded, even as she took a few steps closer to Min-jun. Dae-yeong knelt down to be at the same height as the girl and untied the bundle to reveal an assortment of treats, both sweet and savory. “Would you like some?”
“Can I?” Mai asked, eyes wide as she looked into Dae-yeong’s face, as if the boy might snatch the bundle away at any moment.
Dae-yeong grinned. “Of course.”
Tentatively, she took hold of one of the rice cakes and brought it to her mouth, nibbling on it.
“Is it good?” Dae-yeong asked.
The girl nodded, pouting. “Th-thank you.” So, she wasn’t without manners.
“I’m so glad,” Dae-yeong said, face brightening. “I made them myself.”
Min-jun smiled despite himself. Leave it to Dae-yeong to do something needlessly kind. Speaking of needlessly kind individuals, Min-jun needed to return to the King and yell at him for being so reckless.
Ah yes, the assassin telling his target to be more careful. That made perfect sense.
“Let’s go,” Min-jun said. Mai looked at the treats, pointedly, and Min-jun gave a sigh. “You can eat on the way.”
. . .
They arrived at the apartment shortly after, Hyun-woo hanging back to help the others with some remaining case work. Outside the door, Min-jun lingered, that feeling of doubt returning. What if the King hadn’t been cured at all? What if something went wrong along the way?. Min-jun pulled his sleeve up to inspect his own tattoo. He couldn’t be certain if the weariness weighing on his shoulders was due to the impending sickness or the lack of sleep.
“Will you not go in?” Mai asked.
“He’ll be awake, yes?” Min-jun asked. He hated this uncertainty bubbling in his chest, as if he feared what he might find. Why should he fear it? Concern should’ve been the last thing on his mind. Still, he couldn’t help but hope the King had lived. Was this his mother’s influence? Was this feeling the fault of her teachings?
“He should be,” Mai answered. Should. ‘Should’ wasn’t good enough.
Min-jun bit his lip. Well, it wouldn’t matter if he took five minutes or four hours to get through these doors. The results would remain the same.
He pushed the doors aside, and walked in, letting them slide closed behind him. His gat was left at the door, along with his fear. Mai followed quietly behind him. The bedroom was much the same, with his father’s paintings hanging on the wall and the window left open. The King was sitting in bed, half a dozen rice cakes laying on a nearby table. He was transfixed by something outside. As always, he carried the same strange beauty with him, his tan skin glowing in the afternoon sun, his full lips appearing soft, his long dark hair hanging loose and wavy around him. He looked as if no sickness had ever touched him. It felt like ages since Min-jun had last seen those violet eyes, and when they focused on him instead, all of the tension he’d held until now began to seep out of him.
Oh. He’s alive.
What followed was an immense fatigue that made his limbs feel loose and wobbly, his eyelids heavy. Moments later, he was engulfed by the King’s scent. Only the King’s scent, something akin to a forest wind, not diluted by all those sickeningly sweet desserts he always had so much of. Min-jun found he preferred this. It felt almost familiar.
The King wrapped his arms tighter around him, one arm around his shoulders while the other lingered around his waist. A warm breath tickled his ear, as a soft chuckle wormed its way into him, making Min-jun sink deeper into the King’s body.
“You did well,” the King whispered, “Hae Min-jun.”
. End of Chapter .
Hello, Everybody! Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment down below! This arc is finally coming to an end. How did you like the Wolgwang City Arc? Leave your favorite moments below, along with any predictions you might have for the future arc. We’ll be returning to the palace shortly so I hope you’re all excited lol. Sorry for the longer chapter as well. Let me know if you’d prefer if it were broken up into two chapters. I was just really itching for Cheol to get back in the action lol.
The sweetness ❤️ I hope the King takes good care of Mai and disables Mother’s brainwashing
Thank you for the chapter
That sweetness is what i live for 😭. Hopefully Cheol will be a good adoptive father to Mai. Thank you for commenting!
My favorite moments are when Min Jin acts tough and threatens to assassinate the Cheol and Cheol knows he won’t. As for upcoming arc they will take on Mother and her plots
Ah, I love writing those scenes as well lol. Thank you for commenting!
Idk if it would for the best for Min-jun to realize his real worth in Mother’s eyes… he would be sooo sad because it has been his reason for living these last years but it would also be an occasion for Cheol to get closer to him and maybe help Min-jun notices his feelings 🤧
The realization will definitely hit him hard 😭. Thank you for commenting!
Would like the longer ones…
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
Thank you for commenting! I’m glad the longer chapters are well-received.
I wonder how many orphans Min-Jun will bring home to the monstrous king before he’s done 😄. I like the change of scenery and the long chapter. The ending was so beautiful! I kind of feel like Mai saved Chaol a lot of steps in his mission to win Min-Jun’s love.
At this rate, they’re gonna start an orphanage 😂. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Next chapter will finally be in Cheol’s POV.
I LOVED the longer chapter! It’s much more immersive, imo. 😁 I also love how you describe emotions: it feels very realistic, which is a wonderful thing.
I saw this bit, and got curious: ” He’d watched
as the sword swung down and slashed through them like they were nothing more
than cattle for slaughter. Min-jun remembered that, didn’t he?”
It made me wonder, does Mother have the Gift to alter memories?? So curious! Looking forward to reading more, and thanks for the chapter!!